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While Yukon’s territorial legislation does not define bullying, the Department of Education’s Safe and Caring Schools Policy defines bullying as a pattern of repeated aggressive behaviour, directed from one person to another. It can be direct or indirect, physical, social, verbal, or electronic (cyberbullying). Bullying involves a power imbalance between the bully and the victim, and can lead to a cycle of bullying victimization where the victim becomes increasingly powerless. It can focus on: disability; sexual orientation; gender identity; sexuality; race/ethnicity/religion; or other issues.
In Yukon, Policy 1011 The Safe and Caring Schools Policy is in place to address bullying. The policy is a commitment of the school community to plan, strategize and create a respectful, safe and nurturing educational environment for everyone. It is accompanied by the Safe and Caring Schools Policy Support Plan, which outlines support programs available to schools to aid in implementing the policy.
Under the policy, cyberbullying is specified as: “threats or harmful and demeaning text messages, photos or videos distributed or published to the internet”.
For more details on cyberbullying legislation, including federal legislation, please visit: Legal Consequences of Cyberbullying
Legal Requirements for Private Schools in the Yukon
Under the Yukon Education Act [PDF], “school” is defined as a body of students organized as a unit for educational purposes under the jurisdiction of the Minister or a School Board; the word “public” does not appear in the definition. The legislation also provides that a school is entitled to be registered or accredited as a private school if the operator of the school applies to the Minister, meaning that the same responsibilities Yukon public schools owe to maintain a safe and inclusive environment also apply to private schools.
Educators share responsibility with parents and other adults in students’ lives to nurture the development of the social emotional skills that students need to engage in healthy relationships, and to teach students that bullying is wrong and unacceptable.
This is what is expected of you as an educator:
The school administrators, in consultation with their school communities, are responsible for developing a school-based policy that includes practices dealing with bullying and harassment. The policy is to be reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis to build a safe and caring school.
If a student discloses, or if you as an educator have witnessed that a student has been bullied or cyberbullied at school, or if you hear about it from school personnel or someone else, these are your responsibilities as an educator:
And Finally,
Remember to consider your own behaviour, despite any disagreements or hostility you may encounter. Students closely watch what the adults in their life do and are influenced as much by your actions as your words. When students see you being respectful and empathic towards others, even when you disagree, they are more likely to behave the same way.
For more resources, please visit: http://www.prevnet.ca